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Co-Optimus helps gamers find friendly games
Stop us if this situation sounds familiar. Your significant other decides that they'd be interested in playing a game as long as they can play with you, but you have no idea what co-op games are available -- other than your general shooter titles. Thankfully the team at Co-Optimus has compiled dedicated their entire site to promoting co-operative titles. If you're looking for information on which co-op experiences exist in the world of Xbox 360 or any other console, we recommend you check it out. We stress one point though, significant other and friends are not included.[via Gamescore Blog]
Metareview -- Army of Two (Xbox 360, PS3)
Despite a suspicious silence accompanying its (delayed) arrival, EA's smack-talkin' shooter seems to have mostly delivered on its promise of consistently cooperative violence. Unsurprisingly, most reviewers seem to agree that a one-macho-man army is at a disadvantage in Army of Two, with the lone experience highlighting some of the game's flaws and unremarkable design. It might be worth a look if you and your BFF have already blasted everything in Halo 3, Crackdown and Gears of War. IGN (79/100): "As a single player experience, Army of Two is a fine game -– one that manages to provide a fun, engaging time despite its length, AI issues and elements that don't seem fully implemented. However, it's really co-op play and multiplayer where the game stands out, and these two modes will most likely keep you playing for a long time." Game Informer (75/100): "Like dysfunctional characters in a buddy flick, Army of Two has some annoying problems, but if you just want a fun cooperative experience, it gets the job done and delivers sizeable thrills you won't find anywhere else." Eurogamer (70/100): "Any level of the current co-op king, Halo 3, has more spectacle and incident packed into it than the entirety of Army of Two; more that you'll want to relive in company over and over again. Bearing the strong Vs. mode in mind, it would be wrong not to warmly recommend this as a smart twist on a stupid shooter, but perhaps it should have taken itself a little more seriously after all."
Army of Two co-op footage, details
Army of Two, the upcoming third-person shooter from EA, was built from the ground up to be a cooperative experience where you and a friend plow through hordes of enemy soldiers in the pursuit of mo-money. Since its delay Army of Two has stepped into the shadows, but assistant producer Matt Turner recently sat down with CVG and discussed how the game has improved since it slipped off the 2007 calendar and promised the game will deliver, "a new type of multiplayer." CVG scored video footage of the Xbox 360 version in all its co-op glory but considering what we've heard in the past, we'd like to get our hands on it to find out how the game is shaping up since the delay ourselves.
Haze four player co-op demonstrated
The often-delayed Haze may still be away from our grasps, but we're excited about the upcoming FPS game's multiplayer options. Like in Warhawk, having three other players join you is as simple as pressing START on the controller. There's no lobby to go through, or a complicated set up procedure. At any time in the single player campaign, your friends can join in. You can play co-op online, through LAN, or at home with friends. That's ambitious, and we can't wait to see how it looks on our TVs (because such low quality web video, we believe, doesn't do this game justice).
New site chronicles co-op gaming
Sometimes you just get tired of killing your friends. Many game-makers might find this shocking, but it's true -- sometimes you want to band together with your buds to take on the world (or the computer-controlled AI, at least). Unfortunately, unless you're willing to scour the web for news of co-op modes, you might find you can't get no cooperation if you tried.Enter Co-optimus, a new site founded by Evil Avatar Editor-in-chief Nicholas Puleo to gather together information on all forms of co-operative gaming. The site currently lists over 120 co-op games for current systems, including over 100 released in 2007. It's a great resource, but we're a little bummed that the site doesn't list older systems yet. You haven't lived until you've seen a "co-operative" game of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers turn into a battle to throw your partner into as many enemies as possible. Good times.
Secret of From the Abyss
We initially dismissed From the Abyss when Famitsu announced the title last October -- partly because it seemed like a drop in the ocean of generic RPGs coming out in Japan, and partly because we saw that the studio developing the game is "Sonic Powered." To be honest, we're not familiar with any of Sonic Powered's previous work, but we took its name as a signal to immediately bail out.It turns out that Sonic Powered has nothing to do with the hedgehog of the same name, and From the Abyss actually has some interesting merits -- it's a 2D ARPG in the same vein as the Seiken Densetsu (Mana) series, styled to look very much like Children of Mana, though with less polish. After answering a set of questions to create your pseudo-personal character, you'll be able to fight enemies with a variety of weapons/magic and capture their souls to gain their skills. Apparently, some ancient seal has been broken, monsters are now roaming the land, and yadda yadda story. There's even a two-player cooperative mode, but it's limited to local play, and it appears that you'll be playing in a special dungeon as opposed to the main campaign. Hella lame, we agree. From the Abyss hits Japan early next year on January 17th. You can see the game's boxart and some screenshots in the gallery below.%Gallery-12097%[Via GAME Watch]
Eidos dates Conflict: Denied Ops for February 2008
No doubt in a rush to get a new game – any new game – on store shelves so it can wash its hands of the whole Kane and Lynch debacle, Eidos has announced that it will release Conflict: Denied Ops for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 12, 2008. The game is the latest from the "conflict" obsessed folks at Pivotal Games, and will allow one or two players to simultaneously control a pair of gun-wielding supermen, not unlike the aforementioned Kane and Lynch. Pivotal's Conflict series of games are not exactly known for overwhelmingly positive scores, and if our earlier impressions hold true, the same fate awaits Denied Ops, though hopefully once reviews begin rolling in no writers will find themselves on the business end of a pink slip. If so, perhaps Gerstmann needs a roommate?
Dojo update: Co-op Events
The Event matches in Super Smash Bros. Melee proved to be a fairly absorbing distraction from the main game for this blogger, so their return in Brawl is pleasing news for yours truly. Better still, Brawl lets you tackle Events with a friend, and comes with a number of Event stages designed expressly for co-op play. Sounds good!Elsewhere on the dojo today, we got confirmation of two more modes, because Brawl is really lacking in that department, right? Coin Battle sees players thumping currency out of one another, with the richest player at the end of each round being declared the winner, while golden oldie Target Smash makes a return.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Fast, frenetic two-player action in New Blood
Ever since Trauma Center: New Blood was announced, it seems we're awash in videos from the forthcoming title, but really, who can complain? This latest shows off some of the cooperative play, and by "some of," we mean an entire operation. Looks like nothing's decreased in intensity here, but really, what is Trauma Center if not an experience in getting your ass kicked? We're in!
Halo 3 split-screen wastes 16:9 HDTV edges
Gamers with HDTVs are often aspect ratio nerds. And a few Halo 3 co-op HDTV players have begun complaining about wasted space in the left and right margins of 16:9 (A.K.A. 1.77:1) screens. The issue is about dividing screen space in single-console games with less than four players. As-is, Halo 3 leaves black margins on the sides of the screen.
TGS07: Kohler says Umbrella Chronicles just better without the Zapper
Some people are all in favor of the Zapper, as we discussed this morning, but Game|Life's Chris Kohler is not among them ... at least, not when it comes to Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. After trying the game several times, he has consistently found that the Zapper is less optimal for this game than the simple naked combination of the Wii remote and nunchuk. At TGS, he was playing co-op with a freelancer who was even excited about the Zapper and its potential with the game. He played without, and she played with -- and halfway through, they switched.Once finished, he asked her which she preferred ... and she agreed with him. The Zapper may end up being great for other games, but in Umbrella Chronicles, it seems to make actions ungainly rather than precise, particularly when one has to reload or pick up objects. This makes us doubly interested in seeing how the shell affects other games, like the pack-in Link's Crossbow Training, but for now, we think we may just stick to the remote and nunchuk. After all, the remote is a pointing device all on its own, and we've seen just how fantastic it can be for shooting.
Gearbox's Borderlands revealed on Game Informer cover
With a tag line like "Diablo meets Mad Max," how can you not take the bait? Gearbox Software's Borderlands is the cover story in the September issue of Game Informer. Described as an RPG-shooter, with 4-player online co-op support, Borderlands appears to mimic the space gansta aesthetic that was so brilliantly captured in the dusty Gibson films of yesteryear -- not unlike id's new project Rage. How Diablo elements play into the dune buggy battlin' should be explained once the full cover story has been perused.Developer Gearbox has earned critical props for its Brothers in Arms games, which are often overlooked in the rotting heap of World War II shooters. The latest in that series, Hell's Highway (due in November), showed great promise during an E3 demo, but once again, was lost in the swirl of game previews, and has an uphill battle at retail, facing a very competitive holiday lineup. But if Gearbox stays dedicated to top-tier technical and production qualities, as seen in Brothers in Arms, than Borderlands could be the commercial success this studio is capable of developing. This is one to watch.
Halo 3 co-op is offline, for now
"We're not dumb. We know that people want it," Bungie's Frank O'Conner tells EGM. But according to CVG, leaked info from an upcoming EGM article suggests that what we want ain't what we'll get. The development team is still struggling to bring Halo co-op onto Xbox Live. "I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That's a significant challenge," says Frankie. Currently, it appears that Halo 3 will ship without online co-op, but supposedly Bungie hasn't ruled out bringing the feature to players through a future update (remember when folks wished for the same for Halo 2?). This doesn't mean that 4-player co-op is any less likely; but, if it does exist, you'll be forced to suffer through it using antiquated split-screen methods (unless you've got a LAN setup). Disappointed? We are; many of us naively accepted Gears' online co-op as surrogate confirmation that Halo's campaign would finally become an Xbox Live experience. We'll leave you with a few hopeful words from Frankie: "If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will." Update: 1UP editor Jeremy Parish weighs in on the controversy; Update 2: Bungie's Frankie says, "like other elements of Halo 3, online co-op is a feature we're wrestling with ... as we approach the tail end of development, we will have a clearer picture of whether or not that online feature will be included."
Crackdown updates include new multiplayer modes, 'gang reset' option
With a pint of Guinness in his (virtual) belly, Crackdown producer Phil Wilson reluctantly braved a swarm of fanboys eager to squeeze his brain empty of downloadable content details. Wilson's tight-lipped policy didn't last long, and he was quickly charmed by the Eurogamer forum rats, already dropping hints in his first response (a question about aircraft): "airborne antics [are] definitely not off the table going forward." What we know is that Realtime Worlds has created several competitive multiplayer modes, with one being optionally cooperative. Apparently, one of the modes was inspired by a user-created video posted online (GASP, Game 3.0 on Xbox 360?!). Wilson suggested that the creators would "eventually" be credited for the idea, adding that many of the videos popping up on YouTube (particularly this one) had impressed the development team. The new modes will likely be limited to two players, though Wilson teased that "the prospect of mass co-op is definitely an exciting one." Wilson also confirmed that a free update will include a 'reset gangs' option, eliminating the frustrating need to delete the game data (or your Gamertag) from the hard drive in order to start over. Wilson apologized for the oversight and added, "while I'm spilling beans, there's also another great mode that I'm pretty sure is also kinda what you're asking for but a whole lot more -- so I hope that goes some way towards compensation." Could you be anymore vague?
Possible Crackdown co-op achievement problems
If you've been playing Crackdown co-op style, then we need your input. After playing co-op with a friend the last two nights we noticed a problem with the achievements in the game. The problem arose when I was invited to a co-op Crackdown session, which was easy enough. Hours went by, we were leveling up our characters, earning achievements for such deeds, and even picked up the "Double Trouble" achievement. It was bliss until we killed every gang member in Los Muertos. My friend (who was hosting the game) unlocked two achievements, both the "Los Muertos Intel Master" and "Los Muertos Cleanser". But there was a problem, I didn't receive any achievements. We then exited the game, I started a solo campaign by myself and noticed that all the progress I made in co-op with my friend was remembered except for how many gang members we found/killed. My agent's skill levels were retained, all agility orbs remembered, and even the supply points were marked as located. But it still showed that I haven't killed or found any of the 21 gang members and therefore haven't earned those corresponding achievements. So fanboys, do you have a similar story or is this a weird one-off incident? Have you been playing co-op and earning achievements pertaining to taking down the gangs and its members? I've sent out a query to the powers that be and hopefully we will get some answers, because playing co-op and not earning certain achievements is ridiculous. Again, any information from you guys would help to get this issue figured out.
Mercenaries 2 on Xbox 360 ... PC & PS2 (this time it's official)
Why was it such a big secret? That's about the only question Pandemic senior producer Jonathan Zamkoff wasn't asked in a lengthy Mercenaries 2 tell-all hosted by IGN. Rumblings, reports, and recordings were the evidence leading up to today's confession: Mercs 2 is on Xbox 360 -- and oh, by the way, PC and PlayStation 2. "So here's the scoop. We are shooting for true feature parity on the PS3, 360, and PC. There will be small visual differences on those consoles due to platform specific texture compression algorithms and other platform-specific graphics implementation, but to the end-user the game experience will be nearly identical," explained Zamkoff. "For the PS2 we are taking a different tact. We're working extremely closely with Pi studios ... They are using the Mercs 1 core engine and toolchain, coupled with modified Mercs 2 assets to create the Mercs 2 PS2 version."The big addition to Mercs 2 is online co-op, which will be nixed from the PS2 version, but intact on PS3. "We have no intention to provide one feature for one system that the other one doesn't have. So, yes, both [Xbox 360 & PS3] will have cooperative multiplayer -- online cooperative multiplayer," confirmed Zamkoff, adding, "We started from scratch to program for the multiprocessors on both machines. They were both in mind when we were writing the text, so we didn't want to create a PS3 engine, which was and has been, and is, our lead SKU, but we didn't want to ignore the Xbox 360. Even though we're just now announcing the 360 version, we have been working on it for quite some time ... In terms of timing, both games are within a week of each other in development." Pandemic is tentatively set on a fall 2007 release.
Peep Double Dragon's XBLA makeover
According to the Netherlands' Xboxworld (via NeoGAF), Double Dragon is headed to Xbox Live Arcade in March, for 400 MS points. Like other aging classics before them, the Lee brothers and foes look to be receiving a visual touch-up. But as is often the case with real-life makeovers (and we're talkin' the scalpels, staples, and tubes kinda makeovers), the "enhanced" look just seems to always miss the mark. Never mind how jarringly flat the characters appear, just look at that "English Tear" sign, it's pristine! This is no longer a rumble through the ghetto, it's a prance around some sterilized ghost town infested with botox mutants. Can we get an "A-men!"?We'd much prefer the time and resources be spent on tuning the online co-op, which continues to be a frustrating ordeal with each XBLA release.
Heavy Weapon next week on Xbox Live Arcade
Here's a thought: maybe there's a clever strategy behind tomorrow's Xbox Live Arcade release. With most gamers preoccupied with the new Gears of War maps, it's the perfect time to re-release Ms. Pac-Man (remember, this was Xbox Arcade's launch title). With the overused classic out of the way, and the Gears maps thoroughly romped, next week, we'll be ready for a major XBLA release. Enter: PopCap's Heavy Weapon.Xbox 360 Fanboy has confirmed rumors that Heavy Weapon is scheduled for release on January 17 for 800 points. Sure, there's already a free stripped-down browser-based version out there (right here), but the deluxe PC version retails for $20. If you're down for another tank shooter -- this one's side-scrolling -- the XBLA Heavy Weapon is the version to own; plus it supports Live co-op. Hoorah!
Hudson talks Dungeon Explorer VC delay
Hudson's Dungeon Explorer missed its target launch date yesterday, leaving Urban Champion (NES) and Baseball (NES) to represent Wii Virtual Console's New Years releases. The muff doesn't sit well with TurboGrafx-16 fans who have already suffered through two Hudson VC blunders: a broken Military Madness and a pricey R-Type.Speaking on Dungeon Explorer's tardiness, Hudson's John Master Lee cited "funky things" (bugs) appearing during last-minute tests. Lee wisely avoided suggesting a new release date, saying only that an update on the game's condition would be "coming soon."
Japan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive
You heard it, folks: at Square-Enix's annual Jump Festa event, they let the bomb drop: the next entry in the venerable Dragon's Quest series, entitled Dragon's Quest IX: Defender of the Stars (another silly "DS" subtitle) will be coming exclusively to everyone's favorite little handheld. This is huge news: this franchise is second only to perhaps Final Fantasy in Japan, and still one of the most respected names in gaming worldwide. Having the title being developed exclusively on a Nintendo system is a clear show of faith from SE (they're also releasing a Final Fantasy XII sequel, Revenant Wings, sometime next year), and hopefully, even more Wii and DS support will follow.Development of the game is being passed over to Level 5 (also working on White Knight Story for the PS3), and it'll feature a four-player co-op mode as well. Of course, there's no definite release date, but the team mentioned that they'd like to have it out sometime in 2007.Let this news wash over your Tuesday, and make it full of glee and joy. Bring on DQIXDS![Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and GoNintendo for the pic!]
